Automation components such as field devices or programmable logic controllers (PLC) are integrated in complex automation systems in industrial installations of all types.
For this purpose, freely programmable parts of automation components are specifically programmed for these automation systems. On account of the complexity of the automation systems, particular fault events of the automation components occur only at the runtime and the response to many fault events is specifically defined for the respective automation system.
These points in turn collide with the common practice of programming the application logic for fault analysis and fault handling of automation components before the automation component is delivered since neither the future fault events nor the response to these fault events is/are known at the delivery time.
This results in the problem of only inadequate fault data being able to be gathered from the automation components on the basis of the fault events and of unsuitable fault handling procedures being initiated. Consequently, fault analysis must often be carried out by complicated semi-automated analysis. The fault handling of new fault events is only inadequately supported by the existing application logic on the automation components. This makes it necessary for the fault handling to have to be reinstalled in a complicated manner or else to be carried out manually.
The fault analysis and the fault handling are defined, on the one hand, at the product development time of automation components and, on the other hand, are supplemented by means of complicated manual and semi-automated methods.